The present invention relates generally to a transmission cable strain relief device for minimizing strain forces transmitted to a transmission cable connection via a cable, and more particularly to a fiber optic cable strain relief for a small form factor fiber optic cable for minimizing any strain forces transmitted to an optical fiber connection via a small form factor fiber optic cable.
Fiber optic cables and fiber optic connectors are well known in the art and are used extensively on various types of communication systems and computer systems, such as network servers, storage devices, switches, routers and hubs. This fiber optic interface typically allows for the rapid transfer of information via a high speed, high quality optical signal. However, if the fiber optic cable is pulled and a force is transmitted to the fiber optic connector via the fiber optic cable then the fiber optic cable may become partially disengaged from the fiber optic connector or in extreme cases, the fiber optic connector or the fiber optic signal processing card may experience mechanical damage. Either one of these circumstances could cause a degradation of the optical signal resulting in high signal losses and bit errors or a complete termination of the optical signal resulting in a total transmission failure.
Typically, in order to prevent the fiber optic cable and the fiber optic connector from disengaging or becoming damaged some form of protection, or strain relief, between the fiber optic cable and the fiber optic connector is provided. Current strain relief designs are based on serpentine or S-shaped grooves embedded into a plastic case or housing and are capable of absorbing a large amount of force. However, these designs are expensive, bulky, can only be used with a small number of fiber optic cables and are difficult to use. This is because each fiber optic cable must be threaded through the strain relief individually making the insertion or removal of these fiber optic cables from the strain relief difficult and cumbersome.
Also, most systems are housed in equipment support cabinets or racks that have equipment frame cutouts to dress other equipment cables, such as power cords and other types of cabling. However, because these equipment frame cutouts are not designed to be compatible with current transmission cable strain relief devices, a large number of systems don""t adequately employ any transmission cable strain relief devices and are thus susceptible to damage from axial and non-axial pull forces.
In addition, a smaller optical interface approximately half the size of the current optical interface is presently being adopted by the fiber optic industry and is becoming more commonplace. This smaller optical interface utilizes new Small Form Factor (SFF) optical connectors and transceivers which, because of its smaller size may be more susceptible to strain and pull force problems than current optical interfaces. Likewise, the fiber optic cables used for the SFF optical connectors are thinner than current fiber optic cables and because of their smaller size they do not fit properly into current strain relief designs. Furthermore, because the SFF optical connectors use an RJ-45 type latch on only one side of the connector body, as opposed to current optical connectors which uses two latches on both sides of the connector, the SFF optical connectors are mechanically weaker and more prone to disengagement under high pull forces and off-axis pull forces in directions not protected by the latching mechanism.
In light of the above discussion, the need remains for a new type of transmission cable strain relief device that can be integrated with current equipment frame cutouts used to dress equipment cables and which is less expensive and easier to use than current strain relief devices. In addition, a further need remains for a new type of transmission cable strain relief device that can be used with existing copper cable designs, existing fiber optic cable designs and SFF fiber optic cable designs.
An embodiment of the invention is a cable strain relief device comprising: a first support structure, the first support structure having a first support length, a first support width and a first support height and wherein the first support structure includes at least one first support channel for receiving at least one transmission cable; a second support structure, the second support structure having a second support length, a second support width and a second support height and wherein the second support structure includes at least one second support channel for receiving at least one transmission cable; and a mounting device, the mounting device having a first side, a second side, a mounting device front, a mounting device rear, a mounting device top and a mounting device bottom, wherein the first support structure is disposed adjacent the first side and wherein the second support structure is adjacent the second side.